Integrity Cruise

Day 87: Gatineau, Quebec to Ottawa, Ontario

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Day 87: Monday, July 11th: We got up early so we could make the short 1.5 mile run to the stair-step locks that mark the start of the Rideau Canal. We wanted to be there to make the first locking at 8:30am.

On the way, we saw some impressive architecture. This is part of the National Gallery of Canada; it is huge:

On the Gatineau side stands the Museum of Civilization. This complex is also huge and the top cultural attraction in the area:

We arrived at the start of the Rideau canal about 8:00 in plenty of time to make the first lock-through. Sadly, there was one boat at the top of the locks that took priority over us so we had to delay until 10:00am: this is the boat. The owner is a writer/filmmaker who has made a DVD about the Rideau Canal and other areas of Canada:

To digress for a moment: This morning our main batteries were dead! We had to start the generator to get enough juice to start the main engine. While we were waiting to enter the locks, Bill found that the battery terminals were very loose. That could have been why the batteries had not been charging properly. We ran the generator until time to lock through.

While Bill worked on the batteries Ruth got some pictures of the locks. Yes, this is the Rideau:

This end of the canal lowers (or raises) the boater through eight locks right in the heart of Ottawa. The locks are built in stair-step fashion, where the upper door to one lock is the lower door to the next lock. Quite an engineering feat when you consider it was all built by hand in the early 1800s. This is the view from the top of the flight; that is Gatineau in the distance:

The locks are all manually operated. These are the winches that open the lock gates:

The lock tenders crank a lot. And it is hot again today:

Our turn finally came. We were the biggest boat of five that wanted to lock through so we went in first:

The others came in behind us. Two boats had to nest side-by-side:

From inside the lower locks the surrounding buildings towered over us. This is the Fairmont Chateau Laurier:

On the other bank is the Canadian Parliament; this is the East Block:

We finished locking through in about two hours (takes longer with multiple boats) and tied to the canal wall right in downtown Ottawa. The batteries were able to start the engine all eight times as we moved from lock to lock. WHEW! On the canal wall in front of us was a mother duck protecting her young. Ruth had to have a picture:

We walked the three blocks to Parliament. Here is another view of the East Block that gives you the feel that you are in a big city:

This is the Central Block - the main building, equivalent to our capitol building in Washington, DC:

The statue of the young man running with one leg is a memorial to Terry Fox. Terry had cancer and more courage than you could imagine. He decided to run across Canada on his one leg to raise money for children's cancer research. There was a great outpouring of support for him and his dedication.

According to the Terry Fox Foundation, www.terryfoxrun.org, after eighteen months and running over 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John's, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometers (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22. To date, more than $400 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name.

(Thanks to Glenn Buchanan of Ottawa, Ontario for providing us with corrected facts about Terry):

The famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This fellow was very straight-laced, yet friendly:

We were looking forward to spending a few days in Ottawa. It has a very European feel and great diversity of residents -- and many tourists also.

Position tonight: N45 25.415 W075 41.495

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